Fish-rod holder



Dec. 23, 1930. I w. H. MEEHAN 1,786,254

msu R01) nomma Filed Ill arch 12. 1929 v I 1 V INVENTOR. /t J11 5 45 4.; w. M a a M Q m,

W ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 23, 1930 time .STATES PATENT oFFIcE WILLIAM MEEHAIR OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS rrsn-non HOLDER Application filed March 12, 1929. Serial No. 346,298.

My invention relates to improvements in devices attachable to the bodyof a person, or to some part thereof, for supporting and holding fish rods; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide a fish-rod holder which is adapted to be attachedto and detached from the leg or arm of a person, with and from which a rod can be easily andquiekly connected and disconnected, and when said holder is in place and the rod in position in said holder the rod is firmly held and sup ported to the best advantage for use, and, second, to produce a holder of this character that is comparatively inexpensive, simple in construction and'oper'ation, and withalhigh- .ly efiicient and practical.

Usually thisholder is attached to the leg below the knee, but it might be attached to the thigh, or to the wrist or forearm, the hands in any event being left' free to row a boat, or handle the fish rod, tackle, orother object or objects. The rod is or may be supported by the holder Within convenient reach of the hands, so that the person has full control of said rod. Since the holder is attached to the body at some point, the party using the same is made aware at once of any attempt of a fish to take the bait.

If an individual be so unfortunate as to possess but one hand', the holder can be strapped to the arm from which said hand is missing, by which the rod Would be supported, while the remaininghand is left free for use.

It is possible that the holder might be found useful for supporting poles or rods other than fish rods.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.

I attain the objects and secure the advantages of my invention by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- 1 Figure l is a perspective View of a fish-rod holder which embodies a practical form of my invention, a portion of a fish rod at the butt end being represented by broken lines asv in place in said holder; Fig. 2, a" front end elevation of said holder; Fig. 3,,arear end elelongitudinally arranged, roll lugs, and further provided at the front end with an upturned part that forms a support 4, there being a slot 5 in said support near the bottom edge thereof and parallel with said edge, and a seat in the form of an opening 6 in the support above said slot, and the support being provided at the top with a roll lug 7 a spring 8 crossing over outside of said support and passing through said last-named'lug, extending down outside of said support and then inwardly through said last-named slot, passing to and through said first-namedlugs and beyond the same, and finally extending upwardly and toward said support to receive on these forwardly direeted terminals tworolls 9; a stop or support 10 secured to said plate and having its supporting part directly under said rolls; straps 11 extending through said first-named slots adjacent to the front end of said plate, and equipped with buckles 12, and straps 13 extending through said firstnamed slots adjacent to the front end of said plate, and through said last-named slot, together with an auxiliary supporting plate 14.

The butt-end portion of a fish rod is represented bybroken lines 15 in the first view.

The plate 1 is curved to conform more or U less closely to the shape of that part of the body to which the same is applied.

The upwardly-extending terminal portions of the spring 8 are bent, as represented at 1616, in order to cause the parts of said portions that carry the rolls 9 to retain said rolls normally quite close together.

The spring 8, constructed and united as it .is with the plate 1 and the support 4, is held securely in place and stiifens said plate and Ill support, and adds materially to their firmness and stability, rendering them quite rigid, in fact; and, furthermore, said spring furnishes the necessary yielding hearings or 'arriers for the rolls 9.

The auxiliary supporting plate l lhas a. curved lip 1'? at the top to lit over the lug 7 on the support 4, and a curved lip 18 at the bottom which is adapted to be snapped into engagement with the upper edge of the slot 5. and to be forced out of such engagement. There is an opening 19 in the plate 14, which opening is smaller than the opening 6 in the support at.

he plate 14 is attached to the support a: by placing said plate on the inner side of said support, with the lip 17 over the lug 7, and forcing the lip 18 into the slot 5. The lips 17 and 18 now securely hold the plate 1 1 against the inner face of the support 4, with the opening 6 partially covered, and the opening 19 in position for use. To remove the plate 14 from the support 1-, simply force the lip 18 inwardly out of engagement with said support, and then lift said plate to detach the lip 17 from the lug 7.

If that portion of the fish rod which'passes through and is received in the opening 6 be large, the plate 14 is omitted, but, if said portion be small said plate is attached to the support 1. In the first case the rod is supported directly by the support l, and in the second case the rod is supported directly by the plate 14, as in the present example.

I may provide and use if desired a plurality of auxiliary supporting plates having therein openings of different sizes.

In practice, the plate 1 is placed against the limb, for example against the outside of the right leg below the knee, the straps 13 are passed inside of said leg in this case, through the buckles 12, and fastened by the latter, and then the fish rod is seated in the openings 19 and 6, or in the opening 6 in the absence of the plate 14, and forced down between the rolls 9, against the resiliency of the upturned parts of the spring 8, onto the stop 10. The rod is now held securely in place by the plate 14 and the support l, assuming that the former is needed and in position, and by the spring-pressed rolls 9, and extends outwardly over the water, leaving the hands entirely free.

It is practically impossible to withdraw the rod lengthwise from the holder, but by forcing said rod at the butt end upwardly out of the grip of the rolls 9 the rod can be readily withdrawn.

When the holder is no longer needed it is removed from the leg after releasing the strips 13 and withdrawing them from the buckles.

More or less change in the shape, size, con struction, and arrangement ofsome or all of the parts of this holder may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or exceeding the scope of what is claimed.

I claim:

1. The combination, in a fish-rod holder, of a plate adapted to be placed against some part of a persons body, and having an angu larly arranged support which is perforated to receive a rod, rolls, a spring extending across the top and down the sides of said support, passing forwardly over said plate, extending therefrom upwardly to terminate in axial supports for said rolls, means to secure said spring to said first-named support, means to secure said spring to said plate, and means to fasten said plate to said body part.

2. The combination, in a fish-rod holder, of a lug-provided plate adapted to be placed against some part of a persons body, and

aving an angularly-arranged lug-provided support which is perforated to receive a rod, and perforated for the passage of a spring, rolls, a spring extending through the lug on said support and down to and through the perforation in said support for the spring, passing forwardly over said plate, and through the lugs thereon, and extending therefrom upwardly to terminate in axial supports for said rolls, and means to fasten said plate to said body part.

t 3. The combinatlon, in a fish-rod holder,

of a body plate adapted to be placed against some part of a persons body, having means associated therewith for attaching the same to said part, an angularly disposed supporting plate on said body plate having a seat for receiving an end of a rod, a support on said first named plate for supporting a rod at a distance from its end and members resiliently supported and independently movable above said support for co-operating therewith and with said seat to hold a rod.

4. The combination, in a fish-rod holder, of a body plate adapted to be placed against some part of a persons body having means associated therewith for attaching the same to said part, asi'ipporting plate having an opening therethrough of a certain diameter, the said plate being disposed in an angular relation on said body plate and having a free marginal. edge, a third plate disposed over said supporting plate and secured thereto by a lip extending therefrom which ongages the free marginal edge of said supporting plate, the last-named plate being provided with an opening therethrough disposed in alignment with and smaller in diameter than that of the opening in the supporting plate for receiving an end of a rod, a support on said body plate and a roll resiliently mounted on said body plate disposed above said support for co-operating therewith and with the opening in said third plate for holding a rod.

5. The combination, in a fish-rod holder, of

till

a body plate adapted to be placed against has its end in said opening, springs adjacent 7 some part of a persons body having means associated therewith for attaching the same to said part, a supporting plate angularly disposed on said body plate provided with a seat for receiving an end of a rod, a sup port angularly' disposed on said body plate at a distance from said supporting plate for supporting a rod, spring terminals extending upwardly from said body plate and bearing members at the extremities thereof dis-- posed above said support for co-operating therewith for yieldingly holding a rod downwardly against said support.

6. The combination, in a fish-rod holder,

oppositeside edges of said body plate secured thereto intermediate the ends thereof,

the said springs extending forwardly of said plate towards said opposite end and outwardly therefrom at opposite sides of said support the extremities of which are disposed in spaced relation above said support and bearing rolls carried by said extremities for-cooperating with said stop to hold a rod.

WILLIAM H. MEEHAN.

of a body plate adapted to be placed against 7 some part of a persons body having means associated therewith for attaching the same I to said part, a supporting plate extending from said body plate at the rear end thereof which is provided with a seat for receiving and supporting an end of arod, a support at the forward end of said body plate, spring members at opposite sides of said body plate extending forwardly from the rear end there of and upwardly over said support and rod bearing members at the extremities thereof disposed above said support, all adapted and arranged whereby said bearing members are i yieldable in opposite directions to allow a rod to be thrust therebetween onto said stop and to co-operat'e therewith for holding a rod with its end inserted in the seat of said supporting plate. I V

7 The combination, in a fish-rod holder, of a body plate adapted to be placed against some part of a persons body having means associated therewith for attaching the same to said part, a supporting plate extending angularly from said body plate adjacent the rear end thereof which is provided with an aperture for receiving and supporting an end of a rod, a support extending angularly from said body plate at the forward end thereof for supporting a rod, springs secured to opposite side edges of said body plate intermediate its opposite ends which extend towards the forward end thereof and upwardly so as to provide yieldable extremities above and at opposite sides of said support, bearing rolls at the extremities of said springs for receiving a rod therebetween whereby the said support, rolls and springs co-operate to hold a rod with its end in the aperture of said supporting plate.

8. The combination, in a fish rod holder, of a curved body plate formed to be placed against a curving part of a persons body, devices associated therewith for attaching the same to said part, a supporting plate extending outwardly at one end of said body plate provided with a seat for receiving and supporting an end of a rod, a support extending outwardly at the opposite end of said body plate for supporting a rod which 

